9 Ways Renters Can Save Energy

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When researching how to save energy in your home, you might have found one common thread: most advice is written with the assumption that you own the home or apartment you are living in and can therefore make changes with impunity. However, many people are simply renting their place of residence, whether house or apartment, and therefore do not have the absolute freedom to make as many changes or improvements as they please. Below we will discuss a few ways to save energy that you can utilize as a renter.

  • Adjusting your lighting is by far the easiest way to save energy in a place you are renting. You can replace the light bulbs in your most used fixtures with energy efficient versions and save a respectable amount of money. If you use ENERGY STAR qualified lights, you can save more than $65 a year on energy costs if you are switching from conventional light bulbs.
  • If possible, install a programmable thermostat. These smart thermostats can be programmed to automatically adjust your home’s temperatures in the most energy efficient way, and some even allow you to make adjustments from your smartphone when you aren’t at home.
  • Make sure that all of your electric devices are unplugged if you aren’t using them. Do this as much as possible because these devices can passively consume power even when they are not in use.
  • Don’t put your clothes in the dryer for too long. You can try experimenting with the length of drying time to find out just how long you should put your clothes in for so that you don’t waste energy.
  • Take shorter showers. This saves money on both your water bill and your energy bill because you will be using less water and using your water heater less.
  • Make sure that none of your furniture is in front of an air register. It is important to have these registers uncovered so that air can properly circulate.
  • Let the sun in as much as possible when it is cold to provide a natural source of heat.
  • To save on water costs when doing dishes, scrape solid food off of your dishes as much as possible before cleaning them with water. If you rely on the water to clean solid material off of your dishes, you will waste a lot of water.
  • Use cold water while doing laundry. Also use full loads so that you don’t have to run your washer multiple times.

Do you have any other energy efficiency tips that you would recommend for renters? Please share your thoughts with us on the social media listed below!